Some Call It Magic
by Lilypad18
Summary: Delilah, a daughter of Iris, is forced to move to a small town in England, because her father has been diagnosed with cancer and her family members cannot take care of her aside from one of her mother's friends, James, a son of Hecate. Will they fall into fights, or love? My charcaters. Please let me know if you like this. Thank you!
1. Chapter 1

_**October**_

Delilah's right temple was growing colder by the second. She could feel the painful chilliness sinking beneath her pale skin; she knew it would somehow touch her brain, icing itself over all of the lobes. She ignored this pain by watching the droplets skitter across the window of a bus. She liked to think they were racing, instead of being forcibly pushed away by the wind. In the space that was in front of her mouth, the glass was foggy from her lazy but undeniably warm breath. Her pace of breathing was slow, so the foggy cloud would appear once she exhaled, but it would take its time disappearing while she inhaled. In a matter of seconds, it would reappear.

Delilah knew that ironically, she could count on this window cloud instead of other things in her life, especially with the fact that her father was recently diagnosed with cancer. She had the clearest memory of that day. She remembered sitting in the doctor's office, hearing him rattle away the diagnosis. She couldn't hear him, though: she was trying to think of everything in her power to stop the tumor, but there was nothing she could do. After she came to that conclusion, she felt herself succumb to a wave of nausea and dizziness. Aside from those two physical reactions to the news, she felt horrible that day: miserable, pathetic, and the worst: useless.

Delilah could only imagine how her father felt.

There was also the fact that she was currently in England. She was miles and miles away from her father's small apartment in Portland, Oregon and even though she was in England for barely a couple of hours, she was already homesick. In some ways, being in this new location was possibly worse than finding out her father had seven months to live. She deeply thought about it for a couple of minutes and came to the conclusion that moving was just as equal to her father's diagnosis. In the end, she was losing her favorite world, her father, and gaining another one that was foreign to her, England.

Delilah finally brought her eyes from the drops of rain to the actual outside world. She quickly found out that it wasn't very pretty to look at: the sky was a nefarious and impenetrable gray. The clouds made it seem as if they were just as grumpy as she was. They hung low in the sky with ignorant carelessness, making some parts of the small town dark and gloomy. Overall, Delilah didn't enjoy this place, even if she may be judging it by its cover and unlucky weather. In a way, this place did remind her of Portland: the dampness and the moisture in the air; the dangling clouds; the continuously rainy days. Maybe her mother knew and understood that this would be her home away from home: it was like it, after all.

Delilah pulled her head away from the window and flinched when her neck disagreed with the action. She rubbed her neck with a cold hand and looked behind her. The rest of the bus was silent and nearly empty, except for a couple of stragglers. One of them was an older woman: she was huddled over something, but Delilah couldn't see because of the seats. She could only view her frumpy coat, which used to be a bright pink: it was dirty from age and use. The woman looked staid with lines marking her face. Perhaps her face was like this from wear and tear as well.

In the very back on the bus, Delilah could make out a figure occupying the entire row of seats. He was asleep and altogether looked very worn-out. He had a red, misshapen beard that seemed like it wanted to go everywhere. All of the articles of clothing he wore did not match: the red and black fleece shirt with the plaid design did not compliment the bright blue shirt underneath, which was covered in miscellaneous stains. They were all uncanny colors that Delilah didn't know where they wanted to come from. Overall, the clothes seemed like they couldn't come up with one, suitable look: they all had to be individual, different, and zany. Suddenly, the man snored abruptly and his shoulder moved before he was still and quiet again. Delilah looked at the front of the bus again: she was afraid that somehow he knew she was watching him.

When she looked to her left, she saw her ever-endearing mother asleep with her head against the seat. Delilah knew this trip was hard for her, especially when they were taking the horrible way of _human _travel. Her mother, Iris, was used to traveling, however, with passing messages back and forth, but that was her calling, her duty. _Goddesses have their travel limits, too, _Delilah thought as she swiftly pushed away a piece of black hair away from her mother's eyes. Delilah had the same color hair; in fact, she was an exact copy of her mother. She knew her father's side of the family wasn't too pleased about that. She knew they were angry that her father sired a daughter without marriage. _Maybe that's why they wouldn't help us in this situation, _she cynically thought.

The stopping of the bus pulled Delilah away from her thoughts. The bus driver gave her a sideway glance over his shoulder as if to say: _We're finally here now. _Delilah nodded at him once before she gently tapped her mother's shoulder. Her mother's eyes flickered open at her touch, revealing warm, brown orbs. Her small lips pulled into a wide smile as she perked up in her seat. She looked at the bus driver.

"Are we here?" Her eyebrows rose in a look of expectation. In an opposite way, the bus driver's eyebrows came together and slowly nodded, giving her mother a dumbfounded look. Like the polite man he was, he replied:

"Yes, ma'am," His accent was crisp as he hopped from his seat and walked over to the pair. "Do you ladies need help with your bags?" Iris gave her daughter a look of surprise from over her shoulder.

"Oh my goodness, what a gentlemen," She mused as she climbed out from the seat. "That would be wonderful, dear." The bus driver nodded and smiled before he reached up and took Delilah's bags from the metal shelves that were above them. Delilah's duffle bag, the one that held her most prized possessions, was handled a bit too roughly and Delilah shot him a cautious look as she headed towards the door. The bus driver gave her an apologetic look as he secured his hold on her duffle bag better.

Iris was humming like a bird as she stood by the bus stop as she waited for her daughter and the bus driver. Delilah climbed down the stairs first and the bus driver came second. He warily handed Delilah her bags back who quickly took them away from him. Iris gave the man a bright smile.

"Thank you so much for taking care of us," Iris said as she fished through the pockets of her raincoat. She had a look of frustration until if flashed away once she found what she was looking for. She flicked a gold coin in the air with a ping as the metal hit her thumbnail. It sparkled even in the dim afternoon light. The bus driver caught it in his open palms and studied it with awe.

"No, thank you, ma'am," He murmured as he held the coin in between the pads of his fingers. His eyes widened as if he realized something. He looked back to the woman as if she were a miracle worker. "I collect coinage from around the world, and I've been looking for a drachma for all the years I've been living." He gingerly placed the coin in his pocket. "Now, I only have three more left." Iris let out a benevolent laugh.

"Congratulations, dear, I'm glad I could help you." She quickly glanced at her daughter who looked anything but amused. She let out a sigh and looked back at the man. "I would love to stay and chat, but I'm afraid I have to get my daughter somewhere." She turned to go and Delilah quickly followed. Iris looked over her shoulder. "Good luck with the rest of your collection!" From faraway, Delilah could hear the bus driver let out a happy chuckle. She could feel him waving at them, too.

"Thank you!" He called out to her. Iris turned her body slightly to wave back to him. As they continued to walk, Delilah could hear the engine of the bus start up again before it drove off, carrying everyone but them.

For some reason she didn't think plausible, Delilah was relieved.

Like it, love it? **Please **let me know in the reviews! I don't know if I'm going to continue with this story, so please let me know. Thank you!


	2. Chapter 2

The feather-light pace of the rain continued as Delilah and her mother walked down the sidewalk. Delilah lost track of time, but she estimated that they had been walking for twenty minutes or maybe even a half hour. _No wonder my body feels like lead_, she internally groaned_. _Her shoulder throbbed underneath the weight of her dark green duffle bag, because it held all of her sketch books, paints, and paintbrushes. She knew she couldn't survive without them.

Behind her, her black suitcase rolled through all of the small puddles, over top of the cracks in the sidewalk and smashed the weeds underneath its wheels. Overall, the suitcase was old: it had battle scars including dirt streaks, stains, scratches, and the annoying little pieces of string that come undone over time. She asked her father when he bought this bag, but he seemed to have no recollection of even _buying_ it.

The same rows of houses continued to paint the scenery. They all looked the same with the houses ultimately having small, brick bodies and sharp, edged roofs with chimneys that prodded at the sky. However, the chimneys looked like they didn't want to bother the sky today. In front of the houses were washed out lawns of grass with a white fencing as the icing on the cake. Delilah flinched when a dog suddenly appeared amidst one of these lawns and started barking. _Even with seeing me for a couple of seconds he already notices that I'm a stranger. _

Delilah pulled her attention from the animal to her mother. Unlike Delilah, her mother was bouncing with a hidden energy that only Delilah could pick up. Delilah saw this vigor with every second step she took and the way Iris tilted her head to the side as she looked around. Delilah had no idea how she could be so enthusiastic after the odyssey they have just gone through, but she applauded her mother for it. Her mother reminded her of a rainbow on a very cloudy day: the way the bridge of color spears through the billows of haziness, reigning with fervent hope of a sunny day.

Iris seemed to finally pick up the fact that her daughter was looking at her and her lips touched a breezy smile. Delilah was hesitant, but returned her version of that smile to her mother.

"What are you thinking about, Delly?" Her mother started up a conversation. Delilah tried to shrug with both of her shoulders, but she ended up using her vacant one.

"I was wondering where I am and where I'm going," she retorted. She had to cover the unexpected bitterness in her tone by pushing a piece of hair from her eyes. Because she was traveling, her brown, choppy hair was in two, uneven braided pigtails: her right braid was larger than her left. She had cut her own hair, because her father's garden ornament shop was in the red, even if he was known for his beautiful colored glass balls.

These orbs were one made of one color, but, when against sunlight, they would shine with all kinds of color as if you were holding a circular rainbow in your hands. Sunlight was rare in Portland, yes, but when the star decided to come out, the glass balls would iridescently glimmer. Moreover, what also made them so special was that they were made by hand; Delilah had often watched him perform his craft when she was younger.

"I was trying to make this trip fun by keeping it a _mystery_," her mother lingered on the word, even though she managed to quickly explain herself. Apparently, she had heard the whip of Delilah's impatient explanation. After she didn't hear her daughter reply, Iris sighed and stopped walking, turning towards Delilah. She rested her hands on her daughter's arms, because she couldn't reach her shoulders. However, her meaningful gaze could dive into Delilah's.

"Delly, I know all of this is difficult, but I'm really trying to make things better for you. Sometimes, good things come in hard packages." Delilah looked down at her mother and let a nod shake her head.

"I understand, mom, and I appreciate this," She honestly replied. "I just wish I could be with dad before he . . . you . . . know. . ." She couldn't finish because her throat burned with oncoming tears. Her eyes flickered down to the sidewalk in an attempt to hide this. Delilah couldn't believe it, but a frown formed on her mother's lips.

"I know. I wish you could be there, too. He would want you there. You're the closest thing he has, and I feel horrible about stealing you away from him. But, you have to recognize that it wouldn't be safe for you to be there, especially in the heart of Portland." Iris's eyebrows came together as she moved closer to her daughter. Her voice lowered to a whisper. "Those monster attacks have been coming more frequently, and I can't lose both of you." Delilah nodded at her mother's confession. Once she saw her daughter nod, accepting the truth, Iris moved away and loosened her grip. The pair picked up the act of walking and did so in silence.

Delilah wasn't expecting her new location to be where it was and how it looked. Her mother suddenly stopped walking and Delilah nearly bumped into her. Iris flashed her daughter an expectant smile.

"Well," she started. "Here it is." She gestured to the house that was sitting in front of them. It was on the larger side and made of wood. The wood was painted with a dark green, but the color had faded. The roof was large and a dirty white, slanting inward. When Delilah tiled her head to look up, she saw a chimney, which had a poisonous green vapor leaking from it. Delilah raised an eyebrow at the emerald smoke, but she shrugged and merely thought; _At least it doesn't look like those other houses. _Near her, Delilah heard her mother let out a chuckle.

"He would do this to show off," she mused, resting her hands on her hips as she tilted her body to look at the green gas. Her eyes squinted a little at it.

"What is it?" Delilah dared to ask. Iris shrugged and looked at her daughter.

"We can only find out," She replied and started walking for the door. "Come along, Delly!" Delilah pursed her lips and gathered her belongings, following the goddess up the driveway, which surprisingly, held no car. The concrete was cracked and splintered with weeds, even though the grass in front of the house was obviously cut. Once they stood on the porch, Iris was the one who knocked on the door. The two waited on the porch for a minute or so until they heard an explosion from the inside. Because they were on the outside, they saw all of the planks of the house tremor from it. Delilah was surprised that the house didn't collapse, but then she figured that the house was used to explosions. _Hopefully the owner has explosion insurance. _

The door abruptly opened and smoke poured from the doorway, making Delilah cough and wave it away. When the air around them cleared, she saw who had caused the explosion. A young man stood in the doorway: he was on the taller and slender side; he seemed to tower over Delilah. She knew she was on the shorter side, but not _this_ short.

If he hadn't just caused a big explosion, he would look like a normal man in his early twenties. He had curly brown hair that rested untamed on his head. When Delilah's eyes trailed down, she discovered that he had blue eyes with some purple specks in them. A sharp nose and tight mouth was accented on his face. Because of the bright violet color they contained, they stood out more than the light blue. For clothing, he wore a black t-shirt that said "I BREAK FOR MAGIC" in bright, bold white letters. He words jeans that had mysterious stains and different colors that decorated the denim. Once the boy recognized who his guests were, his mystical eyes widened and so did his arms.

"Miss Iris!" He exclaimed, his English accent ringing clear as a bell. Her mother took a step forward to accept the embrace. "It's been forever! Are you okay?"

"I'm quite well. Thank you, James." Iris hugged him back and Delilah could hear the smile in her response. James pulled away and smiled at her mother before turning to Delilah.

"And who may this be?" He asked to Delilah with an inquisitive cock of his head. Delilah forced a smile as she offered a hand out.

"I'm Delilah." When James slipped his hand into hers, she wanted to pull her hand back: his hand felt like it was on fire. James seemed to notice her reaction and he gave her an apologetic smile once their hands separated.

"Sorry," He started. "I guess today was a bad day for practicing fire spells." Delilah ignored him by pathetically cradling her right hand in her left hand. She could already see the tender flesh of her palm turning a slight pink. This time, James didn't seem to notice. He turned his attention back to Iris.

"How was the trip? I hope it went smoothly." For some reason, Delilah could tell that James was turning on his adult charm just for his mother. His cajoling and flattery were putting a spell over her mother, but not herself. She could see right through him.

"Yes, thank the gods." Iris nodded and smiled. Delilah also noticed that her mother wasn't acting like herself. Usually, she would be overly friendly with her breezy attitude; instead, she was being so formal that it made Delilah sick. She just wasn't used to it.

"Yes, thank them," Delilah childishly interjected. There was a foul taste in her mouth as she tried to use the same kind of fakeness James was using. "But, I'm afraid my mother has to leave."

"So soon?" James asked with a raise of his eyebrows. "That's a shame." Iris sighed and shot Delilah an annoyed look.

"Yes, it is," Iris turned and gave Delilah a tight hug. Even though she was happy most of the time, Delilah could tell her mother was angry. Delilah returned a hug back. Iris kept her voice low.

"Be good and be safe," Iris said as she rubbed her daughter's back. "I will keep in touch with you about your father and any other occurrences, okay?" Her mother pulled back to look at Delilah for the question. Delilah nodded and smiled minutely.

"Of course," She promised. Her mother smiled and turned towards James, giving him her goodbye:

"It was nice to see you, James, and I hope we can meet again." James nodded and replied something along the same line. Iris turned to go and she waved over her shoulder. Once she got to the end of the driveway, she blew a kiss to Delilah before she disappeared in a colorful, lustrous light. James nodded in approval from his place in the doorway.

"Cool trick."


End file.
